Gildersleeve on Broadway (1943)

It is spring in Summerfield, and Gildersleeve is in love, as usual. Ann Doran is the object of his affections. Throcky is about to pop the question. Leroy fakes an air raid to try to break it up, but it backfires. Marjorie is waiting for a letter from Mike Road, but has not received one for several days. Mr. Peavy's distributor is going out of business, and is in danger of having to close unless they can get it straightened out at the convention in New York. Road is in NY, so Gildy decides to go with Peavy to smooth the romantic situation for Marjorie. Doran does not trust Gildy, so she decides to go to NY, also.

On the train, some of the druggists persuade Gildy to talk to the President of the Sun Drug Company, Billie Burke, who is a bona fide air-head, but who takes to him from the start. She is very open about the fact that she intends to marry him. In the crowded dining room he finds Road accidentally sitting with a beautiful girl (Claire Carleton) on whose lap Gildy had accidentally sat in the lobby. Gildy thinks he needs to charm her away from Road, so he makes a date with her. Peavy gives him a lesson in how to sweet-talk her. Gildy goes to her room, where she kisses him and ushers him on a shopping trip. In the store he runs into Burke, who thinks he is buying a fur coat for her, but Carleton wears it out, thinking he has bought it for her. While Gildy is dancing with Carleton in the dining room, Doran and the children show up. They end up in a conga line together. Doran walks off in a huff. Gildy tries to get the on-consignment fur out of Carleton's room and has to climb out on the window ledge. Carleton reports the coat stolen. Then, as Gildy comes into the lobby, Doran sees it, assumes it is hers, and takes it away - just as the owner of the store walks up and wants his money. Then Carleton walks up and confronts Doran, and the fight is on! The coat is ripped apart. Gildy heads to the roof to make his escape, but Burke sees him. He tries to explain the situation to her, but she is completely illogical and that is a waste of time. She agrees not to go out of business, but thinks - again - that he has proposed to her and makes a public announcement. Peavy dresses up as a woman and pretends to be Gildy's wife to get him off the hook. But a local masher unravels the back of his dress, exposing his BVDs. She signs signs the agreement as Gildy hustles Peavy out of the room just as Doran comes in.

It is interesting that a couple of the radio show actors play different characters in this movie. Walter Tetley, Leroy on radio, is a bellhop here. Ken Christy, Chief Gates on radio, is a detective.




Doran